Our Masquerade
by elmo-doodle
Summary: Haru had always had strange abilities hidded away inside of her. She never thought that she would find someone who was suffering more than she was, let alone bump into them unexpectedly. BaronxHaru.
1. Chapter 1

**elmo-doodle: **Hello there! Welcome to my first The Cat Returns fanfic! It's unusual that I'm writing an AU fanfic, but I suppose I had to give in sometime. hehe. This fanfic is loosely based around The Phantom of the Opera - don't worry, it's not a The Cat Returns version of the story, but it will have some of the themes creeping up in places. You don't need to have read/seen Phantom to understand this story, since it will be explained within. Well, I hope you enjoy the first chapter and that you stick around to read the rest!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own The Cat Returns. Kapeesh?

**Summery: **Haru had always had strange abilities hidded away inside of her. She never thought that she would find someone who was suffering more than she was, let alone bump into them unexpectedly. BaronxHaru.

**Chapter One**

**_"Let the Opera begin!"_**

Haru had been an unusual girl ever since the day she was born.

Her mother, Naoko had first noticed it the day she brought Haru home from the hospital. The loving mother had been cuddling her precious girl in an attempt to help her fall asleep, when suddenly Haru began to produce a strange noise from the back of her throat. Naoko called in Haru's father, Shishi, to see if he could decipher the strange meaning.

Shishi's family possessed many magical talents which he had inherited himself. Although he did not join his family in making charms for the few people who requested it, he was trained in how to use his magical abilities. He was born with the spirit of the Lion inside of him (hence the reason why his father named him 'Shishi', something which he has always rebuked his dad for).

When Shishi entered the room where his wife and daughter were, he listened to what Naoko explained to him. Frowning, he placed his hand over Haru's small forehead. This action seemed to please Haru as she began to make that strange sound again. Shishi closed his eyes and concentrated only on Haru.

When he opened his eyes his expression was one of shock. He turned to his wife and said two simple words.

Two simple words which would change their, and Haru's life.

"She's purring."

Once Shishi had performed a brief spell over Haru, and asked for his family's opinion, they all came to the same conclusion: Haru was born under the spirit of the Cat. Haru only had a very weak magical aura surrounding her, so it was unusual that a spirit had possessed someone with little magic potential. The only reason they could provide for this was that Shishi was also born under a feline spirit, and that must have affected her in some way.

The purring was something completely new. Shishi had never done anything like that in his life, and it left him wondering…

…was Haru born with some other ability? Would it become an important part of her life someday?

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"…and that's all for the day," the sensei concluded, just in time for the last bell to ring.

A seventeen-year-old Yoshioka Haru sighed and stretched her arms. To her right her best friend, Hiromi, copied her actions.

"Finally, it's the summer," Hiromi said, standing up and swinging her schoolbag over her shoulder. "No school for two months!"

"I know," Haru said, also picking up her bag. "I can't wait to see my family again."

"Mou, you're leaving to see your relatives _again_?" Hiromi pouted, pretending to look put out. "That means seven days of boredom for me!"

Haru giggled and she and Hiromi linked arms and exited the classroom. "Don't worry," Haru said, "you won't even notice I'm gone; you'll be having too much fun with Tsugue."

Hiromi blushed and glared at her friend. "You make it sound like I forget about your existence when I'm with him."

"Hiromi, you probably forget to even _breathe_ when you're with him."

Hiromi looked at her friend in shock while Haru just laughed it off. They continued to walk towards the school gates, eager to be free for the summer.

"Uh-oh," Hiromi suddenly murmured. "Eye-candy at 12 o'clock."

Haru looked up and blushed as she saw Machida approaching them and he stopped right in front of them, halting their movement.

"Hey, Haru," he smiled, making the girl in question blush even harder. "Are you gonna be about during the summer?"

"Uh-um…" Haru stuttered. "Um, I guess so… why?"

Machida grinned. "I was hoping you'd like to meet up sometime…"

"Ah- well…um…" Haru mumbled, her heart beginning to beat erratically in her chest. _Oh no…_

"Whoa, would you look at the time?!" Hiromi exclaimed, tugging on Haru's arm. "Well, I hate to steal Haru away from you, Machida, but we really must get going before we miss the last bus in to the city. The shops won't stay open forever, you know! It was nice to see you! Have a nice summer! Bye!" Hiromi spoke without breathing once and she dragged Haru out of the school grounds, leaving a bemused Machida still standing inside.

"That was close," Hiromi muttered, pulling Haru into an alley way off the street. "Things could have gone very wrong back there."

"Yeah," Haru said, taking deep breaths in order to get her racing heart under control. "Thanks, Hiromi. That would definitely have gotten ugly if you hadn't been there. I could barely move by myself."

Hiromi waited patiently while Haru got a hold of herself. Ever since she was younger, Haru had had problems with containing any strong emotions like excitement or anger. Whenever she felt one of those emotions that were too much for her, a set of brown cat-ears would appear on her head, along with a brown tail. It had definitely proved a problem, especially when she would be out in public. Luckily, she had managed to control herself, but there were times that she would loose herself. Thankfully that only happened when she was with her family of Hiromi. They were able to help her calm down before things got out of hand.

Hiromi's solution was to pull her away from the trouble before anything could happen.

Haru sighed one last time and straightened up.

"Feeling better?" Hiromi asked.

Haru nodded. "Thanks again," she said, smiling gratefully at her best friend.

Hiromi smiled back at her. "What are friends for?" she asked. She linked her arm through Haru's again and the two of them proceeded to walk home together.

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"Are you sure you don't want to come in?" Haru asked as they approached her house. "Okaa-san's making her Angel Foodcake again."

"Hmm, as tempting as that sounds, I really should get home," Hiromi said. "If I get my room cleaned as soon as possible, it means more free time over the next few months."

"You mean your room is messy?" Haru asked with mock horror. "I never would have guessed!"

"Haha," Hiromi said, pushing Haru slightly. She giggled. "Well, I'll be sure to invite you over once my room is void of all the dust."

"Sure," Haru said. She embraced Hiromi as they stopped out of the front of her house. "I'll see you soon," she promised.

"Of course," Hiromi said, squeezing her back. "See ya!"

Haru waved her friend off before turning around and entering her house.

"Okaa-san, I'm home!" she called, taking her shoes off in the porch.

"Welcome home," Naoko said, her head briefly appearing in the kitchen doorway. "How was school?"

"It was fine," Haru said, stepping in to the kitchen where her mum was flitting about the kitchen with various cooking utensils. "Hiromi had to save me from a sticky situation again," she admitted.

"Haru, what happened this time?" Naoko scolded. "I hope you didn't get in to trouble with a teacher."

"No… a boy from my class asked me if I was doing anything this summer…" she said, turning slightly pink.

"Ahh," Naoko said, understanding. "Is this the Machida boy you've been talking about? Haru, you should no better than talking to boys who make you feel all 'hanyaan'."

"He approached me, okaa-san," Haru objected. "Besides, I know not to do anything about it. Until I can properly control my emotions, I'm to remain single." This was almost a motto for Haru – she definitely said it often enough.

"Haru-chan!" called a voice from the kitchen doorway. "You're home!"

Haru grinned and kneeled on the floor so she could hug the owner of the voice. "Keiko!"

A tabby cat ran towards Haru and jumped in to her waiting arms. Haru held the cat close to her.

"Haru, are you finished school for the summer?" Keiko asked, gazing at Haru with bright yellow eyes.

"Yes," Haru said. "So now we can finally begin that search for your admirer!" Keiko blushed beneath her fur.

Naoko watched her daughter interact with her cat, although it was probably more appropriate to call Keiko Haru's friend. It wasn't that surprising when Naoko and Shishi found out that Haru could communicate with cats, since Shishi was able to do it himself. The first time Haru had talked to a cat was when they were walking home from pre-school, Haru trailing behind her parents and carrying a box of fish-crackers. A dirty white kitten was following behind Haru, and Haru turned around, understanding that the kitten was hungry. She fed the little cat some crackers, and ended up leaving the whole box for her. When Haru caught up with her parents again, Haru told them that the cat had told her that 'life was tough when you're living on the streets'.

Keiko entered their life two years ago when Haru brought her home as a kitten, shivering and alone. Haru had nursed her back to health, and by then Naoko had fallen in love with the little bundle of fur as well. It didn't take much to get Shishi to agree to keeping Keiko.

"Keiko-chan, you have an admirer?" Naoko asked her, although Haru had to answer the question.

"Every now and then, a calico cat would leave a gift for Keiko, and now when he appears, he talks to Keiko for a while," Haru explained while stroking Keiko's fur lovingly. "Every time we try to follow him, he just disappears. So, this summer we're going to make sure we find out where he comes from so that we can learn a bit more about his background! I don't want some disrespectful cat courting Keiko."

"Ne, Haru, you're sounding like an over-protective mother," Naoko teased.

Keiko purred in amusement while Haru laughed nervously. "Thanks, okaa-san," she muttered. "Anyway, we can't start tomorrow since I need to go to the library to pick up some books that I need to read for class after the summer break."

"Haru, you'll have plenty of time to read them when school starts up again," Naoko objected, a little shocked that Haru was willing to spend her summer reading school texts.

"It's okay, there are just some novels that I'll need to read, and also a book to help me with the math," she reassured her mother. She gave Naoko a quick peck on the cheek before heading up to her bedroom with Keiko still in her arms.

"You're taking school really seriously this year," Keiko stated as Haru set her on the bed.

"I know," Haru agreed, setting her schoolbag down on the desk. "I want to do my best for graduation, so that'll I'll be ready for university."

"Do you know what you're going to study yet?"

Haru hesitated. "I'm not too sure," she admitted. "I'm torn between studying Literacy or Creative Writing."

"I'm sure you can excel at either," Keiko said, smiling. "You've definitely got the imagination for writing stories."

"And I have the curiosity for studying other texts and their history," Haru sighed and collapsed on to her bed.

Keiko settled herself on Haru's stomach. "Can't you study both of them at the same time?"

Haru shook her head. "I don't want to make it more difficult by putting more pressure on myself." Another sigh. "I've still got some time to think about it."

Keiko nodded and licked Haru's cheek. Haru giggled.

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Haru was lying on her bed in her pyjamas, writing in a notebook while Keiko slept soundly beside her. There was a soft knock on her door.

"Come in," Haru said.

The door opened and Shishi's head appeared in the doorway. "It's getting late, Haru, you should be asleep."

Haru smiled. "Sorry, otou-san," she said. She hurriedly scribbled a few more words in to the notebook and closed it. "I'll get in to bed now."

Shishi smiled and nodded. "I'll be leaving at 8am tomorrow. Do you want me to wake you up before I go?"

"Sure," Haru said. She crawled underneath the bed sheets and gently picked Keiko up and placed her beside her. "Goodnight, otou-san."

" 'Night, Haru."

Haru reached over to turn her bedside light off as Shishi closed the door. Haru yawned and snuggled down in to the blankets. She relaxed and was content enough to start purring gently.

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**Please review, it makes me smile!**


	2. Chapter 2

**elmo-doodle: **wow, you should have felt my surprise when I checked my mail and found that I had five reviews for the first chapter already! It made me very happy!! I had this second chapter written last night, but I didn't want to post it on the same day as the first one. Since your reviews were heartwarming, I reward you with chapter two (a bit shorter than the first).

**Chapter Two**

**_"Whose is that face is the mask?"_**

"Haru…Haru, wake up."

Haru murmured and rolled over.

"Keiko, make sure that Haru gets up."

"I will," Keiko replied, already awake. "Have a good day at work."

Shishi nodded and left Haru's room. Keiko proceeded to crawl up to Haru's face and bent down so that she was level with Haru's eyes.

"Haru-chan, you need to get up," Keiko said, loud enough for the semi-conscious teenager to hear. "You'll hit the traffic if you don't leave early enough for the library."

Haru continued to mumble something unintelligible. Keiko rolled her eyes. "Okay, I did warn you." With that, Keiko jumped on to Haru's stomach and proceeded to bounce up and down on her.

"Bah!" Haru said, suddenly wide awake. "Okay, okay! I'm up now!" Keiko obediently got off Haru's stomach so that she could sit up and stretch. As she did, Keiko suddenly noticed something.

"Haru-chan, you're cat ears are out!"

"Huh?" Haru asked. She felt the top of her head and gasped. "Oh!"

Keiko giggled. "Were you dreaming about Machida again?" she asked.

Haru blushed. "No, actually, I was dreaming about someone else…"

Keiko looked surprised. "Really?" she asked eagerly. "Who was it?"

"I don't know," Haru said, still blushing as she got out of bed. "But I do know that he was definitely a sweetheart, and we were living together in some strange land… I dunno, but it appeared that we were in love…"

Keiko frowned. "Did you see what he looked like?"

Haru shook her head. "It's strange. I can't remember him… but I know that we were happy…" She shook her head again to clear it. "Argh, thinking about it won't help me get rid of the ears."

"And the tail."

Haru scowled playfully at Keiko and proceeded to brush her brown hair out, avoiding the ears that were poking out from her head.

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"Ah, you're actually up," Naoko said over her cup of coffee. "I'm surprised."

Haru smiled as she helped herself to some toast, cat ears and tail gone now. "I've got to get to the library before the streets become too crowded," she said. "That way I'll be home earlier."

Naoko nodded and bid her daughter goodbye as she rushed out of the house. Haru quickly walked down to the road to the bus stop, which was deserted at the early hour. She was only waiting for a few minutes until the bus appeared. There weren't many people on it that morning, so Haru sat at the front so that she could get off quickly.

It didn't take long for the bus to make it to the library, thanks to the lack of traffic that morning. Haru thanked the bus driver as she got off and she headed through the library doors. Haru greeted the lady at the desk and she moved off in to the fiction section of the books.

Haru took her time browsing through all the different books in the shelves. She had quickly found the books that she needed and now she was looking for something else that she could sit back and enjoy. Haru had to remember to limit the amount of books that she picked, since her bag wouldn't accommodate all the ones that she would like to take home with her. After an hour, Haru had settled on two other books: Pride and Prejudice (a favourite of hers) and Romeo and Juliet. With those two books and the three school books in her arms, Haru walked back over to the front desk. The attendant, Sakamoto-san, smiled warmly at her.

"I was wondering if I would have to come and check on you," she said as she scanned Haru's books through.

Haru laughed politely. "I definitely did spend longer than usual this morning, didn't I?" She handed her library card over the desk.

"You certainly have a healthy appetite for reading," Sakamoto commented. She ran Haru's card through the computer. "I hope to someday see one of your books on the shelves."

Haru blushed at the comment. "I doubt that my writing would be publishing-material," she muttered, embarrassed.

"You'll never know until you try," Sakamoto said. She handed the books and the card back to Haru. "Here you go; remember to return them in six weeks."

"I will," Haru said. She put the books in to her bag and replaced the card in her purse. "Have a nice day, Sakamoto-san."

"You too, Haru-san."

Haru waved to her and left the library. Looking at her watch, Haru was surprised to see that it was only 10:30am. Deciding that since it was sunny she should walk home, Haru walked down the street and in to the small newsagents. She picked a bottle of water from the fridge and paid the man behind the desk.

While Haru was walking home, she came across the park. It was still very sunny and Haru couldn't see any clouds threatening to spoil that. She knew that she had plenty of time to kill, so she walked over to one of the trees in the park and sat under it, shaded from the early morning glare of the sun. She opened her bag and took out one of the novels that she had to read for school. Picking The Phantom of the Opera, Haru got herself comfortable against the tree trunk and began to read.

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The next time Haru looked at her watch, she had to check to make sure she read it correctly. It was almost 1pm; she had been reading the book for over two hours! Realising that her mother would be wondering where she had gotten to, Haru put the book in her bag and hurriedly made her way off the grass and on to the path. She was moving so quickly that she hadn't seen the other person walking along, and she bumped in to him. The few books that the person was carrying dropped on to the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" Haru said, embarrassed by her klutziness. "That was my fault – here, let me help you."

"That's quite alright," a smooth, accented, masculine voice said. "I wasn't watching where I was going." They both bent down to pick up the scattered books.

"No, I didn't bother to look and see if anyone else was on the path. It's my fault," she repeated. While she was helping him with the books, Haru saw that he was also carrying a copy of The Phantom of the Opera. "Here," she said, handing the last book to him. That was when she finally looked up at his face.

Had Haru been paying attention, she would have noticed the orange and cream fur that covered the man's face sooner. But now, she distinctly saw that the man had the complete head of a cat, with the ears protruding from the top of his head. His hands (_hands_, she noted, _not paws_) were covered in the same orange fur, and Haru could see a orange tail behind him. He was dressed like any other person; almost-grey trousers and a crisp white shirt, with the top button undone.

"Thank you," he said, gathering the books back in to his arms. He looked up in to Haru's face and frowned when he saw the look of shock on it. "Is there something wrong, miss?" he asked.

Haru couldn't speak. She couldn't think of anything to say. She wanted to make sure that she was really seeing this before her. Slowly, she stretched her hand out towards the man's head, hesitating slightly. The man looked bemused as she put her hand on his head. Her eyes widened as her hand moved to feel one of the cat-ears, which was definitely very real.

As her hand rested on the ear, the man's face become one of horror. He swiftly stood up and before Haru could say anything he was running. As he sprinted away one of his books dropped to the ground again. Haru jumped up and followed him, snatching the book up as she ran past it.

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**elmo-doodle: **guess who the mysterious man is. Go on, I dare ya! :D

**Hugs are free; so are reviews. Give generously! ^_^**


	3. Chapter 3

**elmo-doodle:** first of all, I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed this fanfic so far! Seriously, reviews really make my day! And secondly, I'd just like to apologise if this chapter seems rushed. I'll probably go over it again at a later date and alter it, but then again, I probably won't _ . Haha. This chapter was written while I was wearing gloves, so more apologies for any spelling mistakes. It's too cold here to have bare hands. I'm probably more layered than a cake right now. Other errors in this chapter can be blamed on my headache, and also alternating between writing and doing a composition on a laptop. Anyway, please read! :D

**Chapter Three**

**_"He welcomes you to his opera house."_**

Haru had to give it to him – that stranger sure was fast. Haru was lucky to be able to keep him in sight.

She weaved in and out of the people on the sidewalk, shouting apologies now and then whilst keeping her eyes trained on the orange-furred man ahead of her. One thing Haru was positive of was that no-one else saw the strange creature that she was pursuing. Well, people saw him, but the obviously couldn't see the fur that lined his face.

The man disappeared down a hidden alleyway and Haru, thanks to her cat-like reflexes, was able to make a sharp turn before she ran straight on past it.

It suddenly became even harder to follow him. The alley became narrower and Haru found herself following the man up a flight of stairs, across a roof, over a wall… she began thinking that maybe he was leading her on a wild goose chase, when he slowed down and passed through an archway.

Haru stopped to catch her breath, still clutching the man's book in her hand. She could see through the archway that there was a semicircle of house, so it meant that the man wouldn't have anywhere else to run. Slightly hesitant now, Haru made her way towards the white arch, not fully aware that she was crouching defensively as she did so. She steadily approached the archway, and passed under it.

As she walked through, she felt some strange energy pass through her body. Spinning around, she tried to find anything to indicate what could have caused it, but the archway just stood there innocent. Shrugging it off, Haru observed the collection of houses that now surrounded them. All of them were daintily built, ranging in size, colour and shape. As she walked further in to the enclosure, she observed a tall pedestal at the centre and on top of it was the gargoyle of a crow. For some reason it creeped her out.

Haru looked around the houses again to try and figure out which one the man had gone in to. All the houses appeared to be empty. She took a quick look around again before noticing something different about on of the houses. It was a smaller than the others. This house had a green frame around it which also stretched around the windows and the large wooden doors. There was a balcony which had a pair of glass doors leading inside, and a stone barrier surrounded it. The windows at the bottom had cream-coloured stones set around them, which also went around the door. These features drew Haru's attention to it, but the chair, streetlight and post box outside the front of it possibly indicated that it was occupied. Deciding that she might as well give it a go, Haru walked up to the house and knocked on the door.

She heard something being set down as footsteps moved towards her.

"Muta, since when do you knock?" Haru recognised the man's voice. "You usually don't have such manners…"

When the door opened Haru tried not to laugh at the man's shock when he saw her standing there. Instead, she smiled politely.

"I don't mean to intrude, sir," she said, "but you dropped your book in the park." She held out the item for him to take.

The man didn't make any movements, still appearing to be in a state of shock.

Haru frowned. "Sir…?"

He blinked once. "How did you find this place?"

Haru tilted her head to the side. "I followed you…" she explained.

"No, no," he said, shaking his head. "You shouldn't have been able to see the archway to the Refuge. No one can see it except for me and Muta."

"Well, it isn't exactly hard to miss," Haru said. "Especially with all the brightly coloured houses on the other side…" He didn't say anything. "Are you okay, um…" She still didn't know his name.

"Oh, excuse me," he said, and he bowed. "My name is Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, and this is the Refuge." He gestured to the area surrounding them. "And what might your name be?"

"Haru Yoshioka," she said, bowing. "Again, my apologies for following you… it was just that…" She didn't really want to say that she had followed him because of his strange features.

But she didn't need to. "I understand why you did follow me," he said sombrely. "Please, come inside." He stepped to the side of the door to allow Haru to enter.

"Thank you," she said, and she stepped inside his home. "Wow…" The house had looked small from the outside, but inside the ceiling was impossibly far above her. The inside walls were covered in light butterscotch coloured wallpaper, which was separated at intervals by painted green frames. The room on the other side of the door was wonderfully furnished with slightly old-fashioned armchairs, an ornate mirror and a grand white cabinet.

"This place is beautiful," Haru said once she was fully inside.

"Thank you," Baron said, closing the door behind him. "Please, sit down."

Haru nodded and seated herself on one of the armchairs. When she was settled she noted that the chair was as comfortable as it looked.

"Would you like some tea?" Baron asked as he busied himself at the cabinet.

"Yes please," Haru said. She remembered the book that she was still carrying. "Oh! You dropped your book on…" she looked at the title and stilled for a moment. "… on _Perfecting the Magical Talent on Elemental Control_…um…"

Baron chuckled as he brought her a cup of tea. "It's probably a good thing that you were able to follow me here," he said. "If the wrong person had picked that book up it would have resulted in chaos."

Haru nodded and handed the book to him and accepted the tea. "I've seen a book similar to that before…" she said, almost to herself.

"I'm not surprised," Baron said, sitting in the chair opposite of her. "I imagine that someone with your bloodline would encounter many books like this."

Haru frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"There is strong magic that flows in your blood," Baron explained, also frowning. "If I hadn't been so hasty to escape you earlier," he smiled a little guiltily, "I probably would have noticed it sooner. I only took the time to investigate when you appeared on my doorstep."

He gazed intently at her. Haru felt a little self-conscious, so she took a sip of her tea to distract herself. "Whoa, this is the best tea I've ever tasted!"

Baron smiled. "Thank you," he said. "It changes every time I make it."

Haru nodded and focused on drinking the rest. When she had finished, she set the cup down on the table in front of her.

"Um, Baron-san," she began.

"Just 'Baron', please."

"Baron," she began again, trying not to notice how nice it sounded, "I was just curious… but why did you run from me in the park?"

She had expected him to be offended that she had asked, but instead he smiled. "I was expecting you to ask me that," he said. "I was surprised. You see, I have a spell which enables me to appear, shall we saw, 'human' to those that encounter me. There's never been someone who had seen past that disguise. That's why I panicked when you fearlessly reached out to my ears." Haru giggled nervously. "I was worried that maybe the spell had broken, but nobody on my journey home reacted as if they had seen what you saw. It was appropriate that I returned home as soon as possible to see if anything was wrong."

Haru stayed silent through his explanation.

"Miss Haru," he began after a moment. "It shocks me more that you do not seem to be… troubled by my appearance."

Haru smiled wryly. She closed her eyes and focused on herself. Baron watched her in confusion before suddenly a pair of cat-ears, the same shade of brown as her hair, appeared on the sides of her head. When Haru opened her eyes she almost laughed at his expression.

"Let's just say that meeting you wasn't the strangest thing to me," she said. "I was born under the spirit of the Cat, and for some reason I took on certain cattish attributes: I have a tail; I purr and hiss. Heck, I can even climb up a wall like I'm Spiderman."

Baron broke out of his shock with a chuckle. "You certainly are unusual," he said, still slightly disbelieving at what he saw. "I take it that you descend from an ancient magic bloodline?"

Haru nodded. "It runs on my father's side of the family. They're all experienced magicians."

Baron studied the strength of the aura surround her. "Miss Haru…" Haru smiled to show that she was giving him her full attention. "I noticed that you have strong blood… but it is not refined. Do you practise with magic at all?"

Haru shook her head. "My father has always wanted me to become more practical with magic. I'm the only one in the family who doesn't want to improve my power. What about you?" she asked. "Does magic run in your family?"

Baron suddenly looked downcast and Haru immediately regretted her question.

"Ah, I'm sorry!" she said quickly. "I didn't know- it's obviously a sensitive subject for you…"

"Don't apologize, Miss Haru," Baron said, smiling gently. "It's good to ask questions – curiosity did kill the cat."

Haru laughed lightly at his attempt at humour. He still looked slightly troubled but began anyway. "When my mother-"

"Hey, Baron!" The front door suddenly burst open, causing Haru to instinctively move in to a defensive position. Baron watched her with amusement. "There's a letter from King Lune about – oh, who's this?"

Haru stared up in terror at the large white cat that was towering over her.

"It's a giant cat!" she exclaimed in fright.

"Muta, must you make such a loud entrance?" Baron said, sighing as he got up from his chair. "Muta is giant, Miss Haru, it was actually you who shrank when you passed through the archway."

Haru focused on calming herself down while remembering the strange sensation she felt when she entered the enclosure. "Oh," she said simply. She looked at her hands to focus herself when she noticed the time on her watch. She gasped. "Mother was expecting me home hours ago!" she said. She picked up her bag and slung it around her shoulders. "I'm sorry to leave so hastily."

"It's quite alright," Baron said. "Would you like me to accompany you back to the town?"

"It's okay, I can find my way okay," Haru said. "But thanks anyway."

Baron walked her to the door as Muta busied himself in the kitchen.

"Miss Haru," Baron said while holding the door open for her. "It would please me if you were to return here tomorrow, so that we may continue our discussion."

Haru couldn't think of anything to say, so she nodded her head.

"And I would appreciate it if you didn't mention me to your family," he added. "At least, not yet."

"Sure," Haru said, stepping outside. "Thank you again for the tea."

"You're welcome," Baron said. Haru was just about to turn away when he spoke. "Oh, Miss Haru?" She tilted her head in question as Baron reached up and gently placed his hand on one of her ears. "Unless you have a spell that would conceal you from the public, I highly recommend that you hide your ears first."

"Oh!" Haru exclaimed. She probably would have completely forgotten about those. "Don't worry, I'll get rid of them before I reach the town."

Baron nodded and withdrew his hand. Haru bowed quickly before waving and running out of the enclosure. She felt the strange magic as she passed under the archway, and she assumed that she was returned to her original height. As she ran through the alleys and over the roofs, Haru's curiosity was peaked by the strange cat-man that was still a mystery to her. She only hoped that she could find out more about him tomorrow.

* * *

**Please review - even if this chapter sucks worse than my school windband (and believe me, we're bad). **


	4. Chapter 4

**elmo-doodle: **Sorry about the delay! School has been extremely demanding this year. Ugh, stupid school. But I haven't abandoned this fanfiction! I'm having too much fun writing it =] A _big_ thank-you to everyone who has subscribed/reviewed to this story (20 reviews for three chapters?! I'm honoured!) and I hope that you will all continued to follow this fic! It's fricken' freezing where right now where I live, and I mean that literally! There's about four layers of hail stone outside! Okay, I really should get some school work done - I actually spent homework time writing this chapter! Oopsies, =p

**Chapter Four**

"_**Wandering child, so lost, so helpless, yearning for my guidance."**_

"Haru, you're home late."

"Sorry, okaa-san," Haru smiled apologetically. "I stopped to read in the park and I got caught up in the book."

Naoko pretended to sigh exasperatedly. "Honestly, you and your books…"

Haru giggled and skipped in to the kitchen to giver her mother a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry," she said again. "Did I miss anything?"

Naoko smiled and shook her head. "I've just been working on some more quilting patterns, and Keiko-chan went outside about an hour ago. I think I saw another cat with her…"

Haru gasped in excitement. "What colour was he?!"

"Umm…" Naoko pondered. Haru whined in annoyance after a few seconds. "He was all colours really… black, white, brown…"

"That's the cat that Keiko likes!" Haru squealed, jumping up and down on the spot. "She's out with him now?! Ooh, I hope she finds out more about him!"

"Alright, Haru, calm down," Naoko said, shaking her head. "Go upstairs and get washed up and then come help me with the dinner."

"Sure!"

* *

It wasn't until much later that night when Keiko climbed in through Haru's open window. The cat didn't get much further than the bed before Haru attacked her with a hug.

"Tell me _everything_," Haru stressed. She released her friend and set her down. "His name, his family, where he lives, what his favourite colour is-"

"Haru, breathe," Keiko said, laughing. She waited until Haru was settled cross-legged in front of her. She had to stifle another laugh at how Haru's ears and tail appeared with her enthusiasm. "His name is Kibou. He has a mother, father and four siblings. He lives in the Cat Kingdom. His favourite colour is blue."

Haru nodded eagerly and then did a double take. "What? He lives in the _Cat Kingdom_?"

Keiko nodded, and then added: "And he's the Prince."

Haru felt her mouth drop open. "No. Way."

Keiko giggled. "I know, I couldn't believe it at first either, but did you notice how his eyes are different colours?" Haru nodded. "It's the trait of the Royal Bloodline. It runs in his family."

"Wow. Royalty."

"I know."

* *

The next day, Keiko left early to go and visit Kibou, with the promise that she would bring him home to meet Haru that night. Haru herself stayed in the house until the afternoon when she left to visit Baron.

"So you're a high-schooler?" Baron asked as he poured Haru some tea. "How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen," Haru replied, taking the offered tea and thanking him. "I'm in my last year of high school, and then it's off to university, hopefully. What about you?"

"I'm nineteen," Baron answered, settling himself on the chair across from Haru. "I attended a high school in another district for a short while so that there would be some proof that I had an education. Before that, I was taught by my father. He passed away four years ago."

Haru's eyes filled with sadness. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "And your mother...?"

"I never knew her," Baron sighed. "She died shortly after my birth."

"Oh," was all Haru could manage at that. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose both of her parents.

"When my mother was pregnant with me," Baron began after a long silence, "She was cursed. Magic runs on both sides of my family, so my parents knew some powerful people. Unfortunately, my mother got on the wrong side of one of them, and the person cast a spell over her. He never told her what it was, so my father had no way of trying to reverse it. It only became clear what had been done when I was born. Fortunately ... I think ... my mother's death wasn't caused by the curse. She lost a lot of blood in childbirth and she was weak. She passed away not long after I was born. My father used to tell me that when mother saw me just before she died, she whispered, "He's beautiful.""

Haru sniffed a little and wiped her eyes. Baron silently handed her a tissue from his pocket. "So you were brought up by your father?" she asked.

Baron nodded and walked over to a writing table at the back of the room. "He was everything to me - father, best friend, brother, mentor. He was also my tutor in magic." He picked up a photo that was lying on his desk and brought it over to show Haru.

Haru smiled at the picture. It showed a young, handsome man holding a toddler with ginger fur, ears and tail in his arms. They looked very happy.

"Do you miss him?" Haru asked, handing the photo back to him.

"Immensely," Baron said, putting the photo back in its place, "but I am glad for the time that we could spend together. He was in a car accident four years ago, and that's what killed him. After that, I enrolled myself in to a school. Father had taught me a spell, which meant that I could charm certain objects like rings or necklaces to his my true identity from people. It was very useful in school."

"Did you have many friends?"

Baron shook his head. "I never managed to fit in anywhere. School was the first time that I was properly socializing with other humans. I couldn't let myself become attached to them because I knew that I would have to leave soon."

"How sad," Haru said, frowning. "How did you get along without friends?"

Baron smiled at this. "I had Muta," he said. "I found him when I moved here last year. And I also found Toto." At Haru's confused look, he added, "Oh! You haven't met him yet! Come on, I'll show you." Baron offered his hand to Haru and he helped her up.

Baron led her out to the pedestal in the middle of the Refuge. "This is Toto," he said.

Haru looked around her, but she couldn't see anyone. "Where is he?" she asked.

"Look up."

Haru did and all she saw was a stone gargoyle of a crow which winked at her.

Hang on - _winked_?!

Haru gasped as, before her eyes, the stone melted away to reveal dark feathers. The gargoyle stretched its wings and flapped its wings slightly. His head was cocked and his eyes were gazing at Haru.

"This is unusual," Toto said, watching Haru gape at him. "You've never had a visitor before, Baron."

"I know," Baron said, smiling. "Charming, isn't she?"

Haru caught the compliment and blushed. Toto chuckled at her and glided down from the pedestal. Haru's breath caught in her throat when she realised that Toto was almost as large as Muta.

"I'm guessing that it's only humans who shrink when they walk through the archway," Haru said.

"That's right," Baron replied. "An accident on my part if I'm honest, but I think I actually prefer it this way." He smiled. "Toto, would you mind going out and finding Muta? There's letters for him from the Cat Kingdom, and I think he has some new insults to throw at you."

Toto rolled his eyes but hopped towards the archway. "Sure thing, Baron," he said. "It was nice to meet you, Miss Haru," he added before taking off and flying up in to the sky.

They watched him go for a moment before Baron spoke. "Miss Haru? Would you like to see my garden?"

"Sure," Haru said smiling. She blushed as Baron offered her his arm, and she lopped her own through it.

* *

The garden, which was just behind Baron's house, was amazing.

It had the greenest grass that Haru had ever seen and it seemed to stretch for ages. The edges of it were lined with so many colourful flowers that it was impossible to count them all. There were trees randomly but elegantly placed among the grass. The variety in species was astounding - elm, sycamore, cherry blossoms, gingkoes... Haru was sure that Baron had used some magic to keep them all maintained and healthy.

Weaving throughout the garden was a river that was crystal clear and almost bright blue in colour. Little wooden bridges were spotted here and there and they had intricate little carvings on them.

Haru and Baron were sitting underneath one of the weeping willows, which was positioned beside the river. A cool breeze was filtering in through the branches and they sat in companionable silence.

"Miss Haru?" Baron asked after a few minutes. "Have you ever been interested in perhaps learning to use some of your magical abilities?"

"Hm?" Haru had been sitting with her eyes closed. She had felt so relaxed that her ears and tail had decided to come out without her permission. Baron chuckled at her and repeated the question.

"Oh, I don't know," Haru said. "I've never been one to pursue the whole training in magic. Why?"

"Well," Baron began, looking in to her eyes. "I was wondering if maybe I could teach you?" He abruptly looked away, and Haru thought she could see a faint blush creeping up underneath his fur. "That is, I mean... I would like to see more of you, and I thought that I could also maybe help you with magic... you have so much potential- it would be a waste not to use it."

Haru blushed, and nodded after a moment. "Okay," she said.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said 'okay'," Haru giggled. "I liked to see you often, too, and I'd be thrilled if you could train me to use my magic."

The smiled that lit up Baron's face when she said that made her heart flutter with some strange emotion, and she could feel her cheeks heating up again.

_Is it possible to like him so much after two days?_ she thought. _...Who cares? _She added when she looked at his smiling face again.

* * *

**If I tell you I love you, will you review? Okay - I love you! :) and so does Baron!!**


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